Frequently Asked Questions

Merge Combinator is a venture studio for national security. We co-found defense ventures with operators who own the problem, connecting technology builders with defense operators, acquisition professionals, and investment partners. Based in Honolulu, with presence in Seattle and Las Vegas.

The Combine is Merge Combinator's flagship evaluation program where defense technology companies undergo in-person operator validation. Cohort 25-1 took place in Tulsa, Oklahoma, with 83 companies completing the public cohort set. Companies pitch to operators, receive real-time feedback, and are evaluated across multiple days of structured assessment.

The public Defense Builders Directory currently highlights 83 curated cohort competitors from Cohort 25-1. Merge Combinator keeps richer company narrative and technical detail public while withholding in-process records, direct contact details, financial data, and evaluation outcomes.

Mission Areas categorize the operational domain each company addresses. There are 11 mission areas in the current dataset: Administration, Comm, Command and Control, Cyber, Force Protection (Defense), Information, Intel and Battlespace Awareness, Joint Fires (Offense), Logistics, Maintenance, Planning. Each company is assigned a primary mission area based on their core capability and target user.

Warfare Domains describe the operating environment where a company's technology applies. The 8 domains represented are: Air, Cyber, Information, Land, Multi, Multi-Domain, Sea, Space. Many companies operate across multiple domains.

Technology Readiness Level (TRL) is a standard scale from 1 to 9 measuring how mature a technology is. TRL 1 is basic research, TRL 6 is a prototype demonstrated in a relevant environment, and TRL 9 is a proven system deployed in operational conditions. Companies in the Defense Builders Directory range from TRL 3 (proof of concept) to TRL 9 (deployed systems).

These terms describe technical maturity stages. "Ready Now" (or "Deployed") means the technology has been fielded with actual end users in operational environments. "Program of Record" means it has been formally adopted into a government acquisition program. These designations help operators identify solutions that can be deployed without extended development timelines.

Company data originates from applications submitted through Merge Combinator's builder intake pipeline. Alumni data is enriched with richer narrative and technical metadata from The Combine program. The public dataset is curated to keep only the strongest cohort competitors while withholding direct contact information, fundraising data, scores, badges, and internal evaluation outcomes.

Visit the Access page at mergecombinator.com/access to start your application. Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis. Companies building dual-use technology for defense and national security applications are eligible. The evaluation considers mission relevance, technology maturity, team capability, and go-to-market readiness.